2007 NEWMAC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT - Lyons down Smith before falling to Babson in elimination round, break homers mark

April 28, 2007

SPRINGFIELD, MA- The second-seeded Wheaton College softball team broke a program record for single-season home runs but saw its run through the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament come to an end on Saturday at Springfield College's Potter Field. The Lyons downed number five Smith College, 12-3 in five innings during their first game before falling at the hands of third-seeded Babson College, 9-7 for their second loss in the double-elimination tournament. After entering the week with the seventh ranking in the NCAA's New England region poll, Wheaton moved to 25-16.

In what might end up being the Lyons' final game of the season, Wheaton ran out to a 5-0 lead against Babson in the first inning on four hits and two errors. Senior Jessica DePolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) and junior Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) each launched two-run home runs, as the Lyons scored all five of their runs after the first two batters had been retired.

After taking a 6-1 lead on junior Audrey Poulton's (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) two-out RBI single in the second, the Lyons saw Babson score two unearned runs in the third to make it 6-3 before coming all the way back with five runs in the fourth. The Beavers used four hits and a Wheaton miscue, and senior Alex Lazar's (Milton, MA/Milton) two-run double with one down pushed Babson from down a run to up by one. The Beavers scored a two-out run in the sixth to go up 9-6 before Lyon sophomore Stacey Kelleher (Brockton, MA/Brockton) swatted a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to produce the final margin.

Kelleher finished 3-for-4 with two runs, while the three home runs hit in the game gave Wheaton 44 for the year, surpassing a 10-year-old program mark. Entering the season, that figure would have been good for 10th in Division III history. DePolito's dinger was her 14th of the year, leaving her three shy of a seven-year-old program mark, and gave her 24 for her career. Poulton was saddled with the loss in relief.

For Babson, senior Stacy Schlicht (Hillsborough, CA/Notre Dame) earned the win after 5.1 innings of one-run ball. Senior Andrea Cartullo (Holbrook, MA/Cardinal Spellman) had three hits and scored three runs, Lazar finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, while sophomore Kaitlyn Clark (Ramsey, NJ/Ramsey) drove in three runs.

In Wheaton's opener with Smith, the Lyons scored in each of the four innings they batted. After freshman hurler Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) escaped a two-on, two-out situation unscathed in the top half of the first inning, Wheaton tallied five runs on four hits and two errors in the bottom. The first two runs scored on a Pioneer miscue, and another came home on junior Alix Brozman's (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) RBI single before Marini slugged a two-run double.

Freshman Merry MacDonald (Braintree, MA/Braintree) smacked a two-run homer the following inning, while Marini's solo shot in the third countered Smith's three-run top half to give Wheaton an 8-3 edge. The Lyons put the game out of reach with four runs on three hits in the fourth inning. DePolito drilled an RBI double, while sophomore Brady Benton (Concord, NH/Concord) launched a three-run longball. Senior shortstop Nicole Lachance (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) began a double play in the fifth before cleanly handling a ground ball with two down and tossing to DePolito at first for the final out.

Bagley yielded three earned runs on eight hits while striking out two and walking two in five innings, while MacDonald finished 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. Marini went 2-for-3 with three RBI, DePolito added two hits, and Brozman stole three bases. For Smith, freshman Megan Kiefer (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park River and Forest) went 3-for-3, while sophomore Emily Hiltzik (Westbury, NY/West Presper Clarke Jr.) took the loss.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/28/07.
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